Mercedes was unceremoniously removed from the top of Formula 1 last year by Red Bull. The W13 was a troubled car. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell had a difficult time due to its extreme porpoising. Toto Wolff was often heard apologizing over the team radio to his drivers. The W14 is much better.
Their Season So Far
Mercedes stuck to their sidepod concept with the W14. But, they were shocked in the season-opener by one of their customer teams: Aston Martin. The Astons were quicker than them, especially on Sundays. This made Mercedes realize the fault in their development direction.
James Allison retook his position as Technical Director from Mike Elliott. The team changed its development direction and has enjoyed better performance. Mercedes have been shocked once again in the latter rounds of the first half. McLaren, another customer team, has shot up the rankings with their Austria upgrades.
Mercedes hasn’t had the second-fastest car in most races. However, consistency by both drivers and mistakes by Ferrari and Lance Stroll’s underperformance sees them sit comfortably second. McLaren is unlikely to catch them with the current deficit in points.
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Driver Performances
Both their drivers have looked good, although George Russell has struggled a bit more with his Mercedes. He looked good for getting a podium finish in Australia before retiring with engine issues. He even got the podium temporarily in Jeddah with Fernando Alonso’s penalty. Since the Monaco upgrades, he has struggled to keep pace with Hamilton.
Lewis Hamilton has enjoyed life a lot more in 2023. He is one of only three drivers to have scored points in every race so far. The W14 is still a difficult car, but one that gives him more confidence. This could be seen in his pole-lap in Hungary, where he was throwing the car around. He has been on and around the podium more and is constantly looking for his next win.
How has the car evolved?
Their upgrades have been the most visible. They introduced a massive upgrade in Monaco, followed by some more in Silverstone and Belgium. The performance change has been remarkable. Mercedes is bringing its next upgrades to Zandvoort.
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Predictions
Toto Wolff has had mixed feelings about the W14. It has eradicated a lot of the underlying issues. But Mercedes went too cautious with the design. This has resulted in a lot of lost lap time. As they look to salvage second in the Formula 1 constructors’ championship amid a tight battle, sights are already on the W15.
